Posted
by
Zonk
on Saturday December 22, 2007 @03:22AM
from the a-shadowy-flight-into-the-dangerous-world dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The upcoming made-for-TV Knight Rider movie features an all-new version of the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT). Popular Mechanics has the 'specs' for the original Hasslehoff-mobile, as well as for the digital-effects enhanced version in the 2008 production. 'Designer Harald Belker, who has created the Batmobile for Batman and Robin and a next-gen space shuttle for Armageddon, came onboard to give the new KITT. a unique look. "The goal was to make it look more aggressive without being hokey or garish," Belker says.'"

Neither. But one thing did strike me. As a run of the mill and fairly low budget (by American standards) series Knight rider had an interesting component that is often overlooked. The interface with KITT was exclusively voice and nobody thought twice about it being 'realistic'. And here we are more than two decades later and we still don't have voice recognition or natural language processing that even comes close to what is displayed so off-handedly in the series. I often wonder what kind of peaceful resul

"You have to talk computer to him."*hand raised in the air* "How robot. Me- friend.""I said speak computer, not Apache." (Note: She means the Indian language, NOT the webserver!)

People still had to know how to speak to the computer. KITT, on the other hand, interacted as if he were human. He was aware of the situation and all of the context surrounding it and inteacted according

300MPH to 0 in 12 feet? Sure, let's calculate the G's from that. Somehow I missed the specs for the inertial dampeners. What really peeves me is that this is Science Fiction that is too lazy to try to conform to the realm of possibility rather than exceed those limits to make a really good story.

Assuming constant acceleration A, speed increasing linearly A.t (speed=0 at t=0), meaning it reaches a distance X=A.t^2 (t=0 then x=0) transforming mile into furlong (sorry I meant meter) means at 12 foot it has roughly 4 meters, and a speed of roughly 300*1.6=480 km-1. Now I don't want to make complex calculation, so I will assume it will have over the 12 foot an average speed of (480+0)/2=240 km.h-1. Which is 130 meter.second -1 (we go for rough estimate). It will so take it roughly 0.03 second to make that distance of 4m with an average speed of 130 m.s-1. Since we know that X=4meter=A.T^2 and t=0.03 we get A=x/t^2=4225 meter.s-2. For reference g=9 m.s-2 so he will feel a force of 470 g roughly. Naturally I bet there are some errors in the above particularly how I calculate the time it takes.

300 miles / hour x 5280 ft / mile x hour / 3600 s = 440 ft / s
a=(Vf^2-Vi^2)/2d
a=(0^2-440^2)/(2*12)
a=8066.67 ft/s^2
standard gravity = 32.174 ft/s^2
therefore, 8066.67 / 32.174 =~ 250 g.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest g-force endured was 82.6g for 0.04 seconds on a water-braked rocket sled by Eli L. Beeding, Jr., at Holloman Air Force Base on May 16, 1958. He was hospitalized for three days.
Using that number, this still means that the new KITT is capable of stopping three times faster than the maximum rate within survivability limits supported by evidence.

The key is that KITT uses a self-directed tachyon beam which is
powerful enough to induce locally a Lie dragging of the metric. In
layman's terms, the car takes really thirty seconds to slow down, but
the light from the red cylon eye thingy makes it so that time flows
backwards to four seconds afterwards, while the car's incessant talk
distracts the driver when it happens.

That make it a factor 4 error on the accelration A calculation. (I had taken 480 kmh as average speed instead of 240).
Don't really matter. Red-meat-mash ex-driver is still dead as dead can be. even at 125g.
This is why I hate tv-sf.

Another way to think about it: if you were to run that car into a solid wall at 300mph, the front might crumple 6 feet. Going from 300mph to 0 in 12 feet is about half as severe as just driving into a wall.

For the upcoming show, the wanna-be actors have to act out a scene that's invented on the spot by the producer. When they pass this test, they undergo the second test: a nice slap in the face with a sledgehammer. To emulate KITTs acceleration.

Nothing in the specs states anything about driver protection, so I guess it'll simply involve an endless string of cloned Knightriders:-)I was hoping anyone with better physics knowledge than I would be able to calculate the impact energy. To take almost 2 tonnes of steel down from 300 mph to 0 in about 12 feet (apparently calculated as a deceleration of about 250g) means you have to get rid of a godawful amount of kinetic energy in a very short time. Hell, that's not even going to look good on FILM.. W

300MPH to 0 in 12 feet? Sure, let's calculate the G's from that. Somehow I missed the specs for the inertial dampeners. What really peeves me is that this is Science Fiction that is too lazy to try to conform to the realm of possibility rather than exceed those limits to make a really good story.

The car can drive itself; if there are no passengers and the car can withstand 470g, then what's the problem with braking that fast? No doubt the car brakes slower with passengers so as not to kill them.

Actually... The original KITT had something called the Passive Laser Restraint System. That phrase would appear on the monitor whenever KITT went into Super Pursuit Mode. It was supposed to imply something like an intertial dampner. If you get bored, type Passive Laser Restraint into Wikipedia. (Although it won't tell you much more than I just said.)

Clearly a fantasy story because anyone really wanting to design a powerful fast car and put a supercomputer with AI in wouldn't be using a Mustang. Heck, I would go with something like the Mazda RX8. It at least looks sporty and in some ways quite similar to the original KITT. Of course, it isn't American so I'll no doubt get modded down by y'all.....

Clearly a fantasy story because anyone really wanting to design a powerful fast car and put a supercomputer with AI in wouldn't be using a Mustang. Heck, I would go with something like the Mazda RX8. It at least looks sporty and in some ways quite similar to the original KITT. Of course, it isn't American so I'll no doubt get modded down by y'all.....

You also need to ask yourself whether those extra air-foils at the back are really necessary and not simply extra drag. I don't know, but the new KITT makes me

They seem to misunderstand what KITT was. KITT was sleek, and elegant. It had class. And it was something we all imagined we might have some day. Until the producers get what the old show had, they should stop trying to reproduce it with horrible bulky cars.

No kidding! That car isn't even close to being a KITT. Right off the bat, since it is a mustang, it is specifically designed to look like a 1960's car . Then, there doesn't seem to be a red light on the front. The red light on the front was how you knew that KITT was a sentient super car. And the Specs are just stupid. Instead of being a super car, it is now a magic car.

this virtual Stang comes tricked out with a supercomputer that can hack almost any system; a very capable weapons system; and a body--thanks to nanotechnology--that's able to shape-shift and change color at will.

For the love of all things Holy, can we please stop making shows with impossible (or at least highly improbable) technology? KITT was really fun in the 80's, primarily because of a misconception about AI. It was felt at the time by the public (and to a lesser degree by actual AI researchers) that the only thing holding a computer back from sentience was enough computing power. 20+ years of research has since disavowed us of that notion.

Otherwise the original show was reasonably good about keeping the tech on the level. KITT was powered by Gas Turbines (good!), had laser weaponry (okay), was capable of computer graphics (actually, that's almost amusingly primitive at this point), and had an ultra-strong "Molecular Bonded Shell". (Unlikely, but at least within the realm of possibility.)

The show tried doing the "ridiculous tech-thing of the week" when they brought on the April character, but that didn't go over all that well. Eventually they dropped it and got back to showing solutions that didn't involve Deus-Ex Machina plot devices.

While I understand the need for suspending disbelieve, I just can't help but think that it would make a more enjoyable show if they simply tried to ground and enhance what was already presented in the original show. Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs?:P), eves dropping tech, weapons technology, and computer control, KITT could be pretty damn cool without crossing the line into unbelievable territory. Which would, of course, force the writers to write rather than relying on the gadget of the moment.;-)

While I understand the need for suspending disbelieve, I just can't help but think that it would make a more enjoyable show if they simply tried to ground and enhance what was already presented in the original show. Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs?:P), eves dropping tech, weapons technology, and computer control, KITT could be pretty damn cool without crossing the line into unbelievable territory. Which would, of course, force the writers to write rather than relying on the gadget of the moment.;-)

I think they tried that... Team Knight Rider [wikipedia.org] perhaps. I only watched a couple of episodes but I seem to remember automobiles that could morph into cycles or some nonsense. It only lasted a season.

Otherwise the original show was reasonably good about keeping the tech on the level. KITT was powered by Gas Turbines (good!), had laser weaponry (okay), was capable of computer graphics (actually, that's almost amusingly primitive at this point), and had an ultra-strong "Molecular Bonded Shell". (Unlikely, but at least within the realm of possibility.)

Yeah - it was especially believable how KITT could control other cars and electronics by sending commands to them through the ether.

The TV show Viper did it 10 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtJLlQYs1rY [youtube.com]. In some ways it was better than Knight Rider, but not without it's own rediculous technologies. Transformer style "morphing", EMP guns, harpoon cables fired from little gun pods on the sides able to suspend a musclecar without breaking etc. But no 0-60 in 0.2 seconds, and no talking car. Which is a bit of a shame, KITT was always the best part of Knight Rider IMO.

I hear those atats are only preliminary. The final New KITT will have deflector shields, multiple phaser banks and an engine that goes from 0 to Warp 11 in 0.002 seconds. It will also be organic and self-healing, have time-jumping capabilities and be able to destroy planets with a single attack (howevr, since New KITT needs to be on the planet during the attack, this capability will virtually never be used - only about every fifth episode). It also will derive its energy from hydrogen fission.

It was actually a Saleen S281E [wikipedia.org]. The rights to the cars we're bought by GM so all the cars had to be GM, no Fords or Volkswagons allowed. Why else would Bumblebee be a Camero instead a Beattle. The only exception was Optimus Prime, which was a Peterbuilt, because GM doesn't make Semi-Tractors.

My guess is that the rights for the new Knight Rider were bought by Ford so it had to be a current production model car. It's sad, I really like the old Pontiac Trans-Am. It lent a air of 80's cool, like the

Well even if a boatload of cash from Ford wasn't involved, you have to consider that there are two major iconic American sports cars...the Corvette and the Mustang (there are many others that are well known, like the Viper, but none nearly as popular as those two). It probably fits the general audience better by choosing one of them.

Well, the Viper already had it's supercar TV commercial... er... show in the 90s, but either way, it's not nearly as ubiquitous as the Mustang design or the Corvette design.Anyway, in the 90s, also, Ford essentially bought out Knight Rider anyway (after my consultation with Wikipedia). In 1997, a show called Team Knight Rider made a brief appearance with a whole set of Ford vehicles.

After the 1991 flop (which GM was still involved with), the 1997 flop, you'd think Ford/NBC would be able to guess that 10 ye

Ok, my bad, I clicked the link but I was extremely puzzled for a few minutes trying to figure out why someone named the site Galactic Abbs dot com... the page was clearly dedicated to Battlestar Galactica and I was imagining some fan with a fixation on sexy (male?) abdominal muscles of actors on the show.

It was a creepy minute or two, half afraid of what answers I might find on the front page of the site.

And on that note, here are a couple (current and former) genuine website addresses:Who [whorepresents.com]

A modern Corvette [chevrolet.com] would make so much more sense. Of course there are cooler, more exotic choices, but I think to be most consistent with the original series, it should be a GM car that's relatively common. And the Corvette has a similar body style to the 80's Trans Am.

Years ago I read that Ford has a majority stake in the 3rd largest marketing firm in the country (but I can never remember the name of it), which explains why Mustangs appear in everything. Is there any other explanation why a performance car based on a platform that debuted in 1978 could survive the next 26 years on its own merits? (Yes, I know the 1994 Mustang was "all new", which structurally amounted to a new roofline, increased length and width, and crossmembers a

No no no! No Corvette! No Mustang! Those are just all-american-lazy-fat-ass-comes-with-soda-cup-holder excuses for a car. No! Trans-Am was a real car! You need a real bad ass car for Knight Rider! And when you want bad ass car the only choice is black BMW M3, CLS preferably. And you know what... you need a real man to drive that car, you need David Hasselhoff to play the part of Michael Knight not some lame excuse for a man.

Actually I'm little disappointed that they haven't recruited Hasselhoff to do the m

oooh... and KITT... he could pronounce his English with a German accent... that would be the comedical twist;-)

EOr make him somewhat cranky (computers have advanced and while transitioning between more or less increasingly powerful hardware platforms for the last 20 years, KITT has developed a more defined personality) and have him curse in German. A bit like Firefly had all curses in Mandarin.

I remember two things1. Before Knightrider came on the air they advertised a 800 number you could call to get the specs of the KITT compared to the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee. Even as a pre-teen I thought it was rather stupid to promote a fictional car as being superior to another semi-fictional car.

2. This used 5 years down the road as a creative use for 800 numbers.

But I regret not picking up copies of the this advert... it would have likely been e-bay able when Hasslehoff's popularity was tops in Ge

They need to drop the KITT name and call it BRICK. They lost the original concept of lean sleek smart stealthy and replaced it with a brick. They may as well replace Hasselhoff with a steroid injected pro-wrestler.

My knee-jerk reaction is to say the designer should be fired, but according to the article it is admitted this was "because of the Ford connection" and apparently the designer was specifically ordered to use this model car and that "Maintaining as much of [this model] as possible was important". Whoever handed down the order to shoehorn this model car in as KITT needs to be fired. But no... he probably got a big cash bonus instead for bringing in big bucks from Ford Marketing to turn this onto a MOVIE-LENGTH-COMMERCIAL for the Next New Product. This goes beyond even the most grotesque level of product placement. This is one big two hour hypefomercial.

P.S.According to Google I appear to have coined a new word.Hypefomercial: noun. Etymology: hype+infomercial.A television program that is an extended advertisement designed to manufacture "coolness" and social buzz for a product, in contrast to infomercials which are usually built around product discussion and demonstration.

P.S.According to Google I appear to have coined a new word.Hypefomercial: noun. Etymology: hype+infomercial.A television program that is an extended advertisement designed to manufacture "coolness" and social buzz for a product, in contrast to infomercials which are usually built around product discussion and demonstration.

Huzzah! to your wordsmithery, sir. If I should happen to remember that word, I have a feeling I'll have enough use for it to become annoying. hypefomercial.

Ugh. I know the first series was silly, but this just looks stupid.What's with those super-thin tires with the rims an inch and a half from the tarmac? --I strongly suspect those things were designed to fail above legal driving speeds. I saw one of those dumb O.J. type car chases caught on camera and the stolen vehicle had that same style of wheel. You know, 'fast and gangsta cool'. --At one point when the wily bandit rounded a corner at a slightly less than legal speed, the car leaned, the rubber comp

Unless this Knight Rider is going to be brought up to date with the expectations of a mature viewership (like they did with Battle Star Galactica)

I think that the update of Galactica is parallel to the maturing of TV audiences across all ages. Television is a great medium for campy adventure shows, but as is has grown in popularity, the viewers have (generally) demanded more. Almost all shows from the 50's through the 80's were highly camp-filled love fests, and the darker, grittier shows such as those

First, I was hoping for a late model Chevy remake of the Firebird(Best looking car ever made)
Second, the wheels on the Ford suck... They should at least be aerodynamic and functional like KITT's. Not, sticking out 3 inches from the fender well and low profile. Seriously, what happened to all the aerodynamic wheel designs on the market???
I predict flop due to the crappy car... The only thing that could save it now is Will Smith becoming the new Knight Rider.

I was just thinking I'd like to watch the original pilot again. I remember the promos of it where they had devon standing beside kitt with his scanner sweeping, talking about a much cooler car that "does more than just jump puddles", referring to their main car featuring competition of the time, Dukes of Hazard. As I recall, that episode mainly revolved around Michael freaking out as he found out 'the hard way' that his car was sentient. Is it available anywhere? Not that I'm geeking out enough to go bu

I read the article, but I didn't see any mention of KITT's Cylon "eye". There's a little gap there, but not sure if that's supposed to be the "eye". I am a child of the '80s, I did watch the show (sometimes), and this can't really be Knight Rider if KITT isn't a Cylon.

But this is just another NBC anti-war propaganda show. Never mind the car, the new "Hoff" is going to be a "Jaded" Iraq war Army Ranger Who lost his entire battalion in Iraq. Funny, I never heard anything on the news about an entire battalion being lost in Iraq at any time during this war. I guess NBC has high hopes eh?

First, I was hoping for a late model Chevy remake of the Firebird(Best looking car ever made)Second, the wheels on the Ford suck... They should at least be aerodynamic and functional like KITT's. Not, sticking out 3 inches from the fender well and low profile. Seriously, what happened to all the aerodynamic wheel designs on the market???

Finally, I predict flop due to the crappy car... The only thing that could save it now is Will Smith becoming the new Knight Rider. If you are going to be disruptive wit

I rather thought the classic car in that was a Volvo but clearly it is a 57 chevy. I would have had more respect for the series if they used a Volvo p1800. There is "The Saint" reference and they are practically bulletproof.